Allowing Time with God

Has there ever been a time in your life where everything felt routine? Going to work, church, taking care of your family, paying bills, it just seems like everything is on autopilot. You know you need a break in routine, but you just don’t know how to do it. I have been feeling like this lately, especially in ministry. I just want to tell everyone, my pastor, church friends, my family, that I need a break from all of them. I just want to take some Sundays off and get way and find some time to reflect. The problem is, when I get back from reflecting, the routine begins again. So I begin to ask myself, what does this mean? What do I need to do differently to break this routine. Something came to me so clearly, I need to take a break from everything else and allow time with God. I have felt like this before, and the one thing that I remember doing to get out of this rut was getting closer to God. Getting rid of the distractions and just allowing God to speak to me and I for once listen. We get so caught up in everything that is going on around us and in our lives, we get so consumed with our minor problems, that we forget to spend time with God. We forget to say a simple thank you when he wakes us up in the morning. We allow ourselves to get swept up in everyone and everything that we forget to put on our full armor and prepare ourselves for all that is thrown at us. How many of us can say that we read our bible everyday? We forget about the simple things or do we take our God for granted? Prayer is our way to communicate with God. It is our way of having open dialogue. When I find myself going through the motions of routine, I take that as a sign of not spending enough time with God. It forces me to go to him in prayer and read my bible and allow it and God to minister to me. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 instructs us to pray, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. So if we have been charged to do this simple task, why is it so difficult for us to do or be consistent in it? I have found that when I pray, I am forced to deal with the issues of my heart. I have to face the very thing that is causing me to not want to pray because it means I have to accept it and acknowledge it. I believe that sometimes God allows us to deal with certain situations to get our attention. He knows that allowing certain circumstances to come our way will push us to him and spend time with him. One thing that God tells us to do is leave our issues at the altar. I have to remind myself even though I am facing my issues, I do not have to deal with them alone.  Matthew 11: 28 – 30 says it so eloquently, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  I can give it to God and he will work it all out for me, all I have to do is spend time with him and allow him to handle whatever issue that may come my way and spending time in his presence is better than feeling stuck in a rut and going through the motions of life.